


Roots and Wings

by storywriter55



Series: Milestones [22]
Category: White Collar (TV 2009)
Genre: Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Growing Up, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27823414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storywriter55/pseuds/storywriter55
Summary: Christmas Eve in the Ellis-Caffrey household is a bittersweet affair as they remember a loved one and prepare to send Hope off into the world. Part of the 'Milestones' series (18.9 years)
Relationships: Neal Caffrey/Sara Ellis
Series: Milestones [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/80614
Kudos: 8





	Roots and Wings

Another Christmas in their home, Neal thought nostalgically as he finished getting dressed.But this one was a little different – bittersweet... He walked by Liam’s room. No surprise there, the door was closed, his son still asleep. After all, it was only 10:30 on Christmas Eve morning – what else was a 13-year-year-old boy to do when he was finally off school for a few days. Neal glanced into Hope’s room. She’d started packing and there were clothes all over her bed and boxes strewn here and there. But Hope was nowhere in sight.

He made his way to the staircase and started down slowly, noticing how quiet the house was; Sara must be out running some last minute errands. As he took the last few steps, he spotted Raffie on the couch with his head on Hope’s lap. The dog glanced up at his master nervously; he wasn’t allowed on the couch and he knew it. He waited for the expected reprimand which to his surprise didn’t materialize and he proceeded to set his head back down again with a loud sigh as Hope continued to caress the top of his furry head.

The pooch had arrived in the Caffrey family six years earlier. Satchmo had passed away that fall and Hope had been inconsolable. Despite the chaos of having two busy kids, two full-time careers and a slew of extracurricular activities, he and Sara had caved in and decided to throw an active dog into the mix. Raffie was a beautiful blend of Golden Retriever and Husky which meant he was as strong as an ox and a very busy boy. Now that he was seven years old, he’d begun to settle a little but he still required two good walks a day to keep him from going totally bonkers.

Hope looked up as she saw her dad come into view. Her eyes looked a little misty and he made his way into the living room to join her.

‘Hey, where’s Mom?’ he asked as he settled beside her on the couch.

‘She and Aunt Emily went out for a few last minute groceries. I swear Dad, it’s like we’re having fifty people over for dinner instead of twelve.’

Neal chuckled. 'You know your mom… leave nothing to chance.’ 

He glanced down at the Christmas book which lay open in her lap, a relic from years ago. ‘So… _Little Bear’s Christmas,_ huh?’

‘Would you believe, it’s still my favourite after all these years’ Hope said as she slipped her arm under her dad’s and moved in a little closer.

‘Well, it _was_ your very first Christmas book -and he _is_ awfully cute...’

The large wicker basket full of Christmas books sat at their feet and Neal marvelled, once more at his wife’s knack for creating long-lasting holiday traditions for their family. He hadn’t many fond memories of his childhood at holiday time and he loved the fact that Sara had worked so hard over the years to ensure that their kids had a truckload of happy memories of their own. Every year since Hope was a baby, Sara had given each of the kids a Christmas book. Over the years, they had accumulated a large basketful that was lugged out every Christmastime for all to enjoy. Both their kids were well past the age of looking at picture books and yet both Hope and Liam still requested a book each year - not that they needed to ask. Every year, they would both sit by the tree and rediscover them once again, re-reading the special dedication their parents had inscribed on the front page of each book and reminiscing about Christmases past.

‘I’m going to miss being in the house at Christmastime’ said Hope as she dropped her head on Neal’s shoulder.

‘What are you talking about? You’ll be back every year at Christmas’ he said, trying to downplay his own mixed feelings about his daughter leaving for university.

‘Yeah but, you know, the tension building for weeks, Mom getting more and more excited, packages arriving mysteriously at the house, that whole buildup that starts at Thanksgiving – I won’t be here for all that’ she said wistfully.

He shrugged. ‘So how are you feeling about moving to Pittsburgh?’ he asked.

She sighed and looked up at him. ‘Excited, nervous, happy, sad, eager, a little scared...’

‘Well, Carnegie Mellon has one of the best Fine Arts programs in the country....’

‘...and I’m so grateful to you and Mom for making this happen for me.’

‘But?’ Neal asked.

‘No buts, Dad, just... thank you for everything!’ Hope said as she gave him a warm hug.

Neal held her close and fought off a tear. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad about leaving. She had every right to follow her dream. She had amazing instincts as an artist and all she needed was some formal training to send her on her way. He was happy he’d instilled his love of the arts in his daughter; he couldn’t have been prouder when she’d been accepted into the program he would have loved to attend in his youth.

‘You know sweet pea, I remember your first day of school. I found you staring at that goofy picture of us playing Twister at Uncle Peter’s – you know, the one that still sits on your dresser. You told me you were excited about going to school but you were scared of missing your mom and me.’

‘Oh yeah?’ said Hope, smiling fondly. ‘I don’t remember. So, what words of wisdom did you have for me back then?’

‘I just suggested you bring along something of your mom’s and mine to make you feel safe, I slipped that photograph into your backpack and I reminded you I’d be picking you up in a few hours’ he replied.

‘Sage advice, Dad’ said Hope, looking up at her dad with her bright blue eyes.

They were interrupted by the front door opening as Sara bustled in with Emily in tow, both of them laughing and carrying arms full of groceries. Neal looked up as they came through the door and rushed to greet them, taking some of the bags from them and carrying them into the kitchen. He heard Sara laugh at something her sister said; the best sound he could possibly imagine.

WCWCWC

By dinnertime, amazing smells emanated from the kitchen and filled the house. Neal had made his famous stuffing and was busy with the garlic mashed potatoes when the doorbell rang and their first guests arrived - Peter and Elizabeth, arms full of gifts for their goddaughter and nephew. Neal could hear the commotion in the living room as the gifts were placed under the tree and the laughter warmed his heart. He felt like the luckiest man in the world. He had an amazing wife, two fantastic kids, a great job, friends, a warm, inviting home to come to at the end of the day and a sense of fulfillment he had never dreamed possible.

The extended family sat at the dining room table and prepared to toast the meal. Among the guests were Diana and Christie and their two girls, Mozzie who sat next to Liam, Peter and Elizabeth, side by side and Sara who faced Neal at the other end of the table, seated next to Emily. 

Neal glanced at the chair to his left, the place had been set but the chair left empty and he smiled wistfully at the thought that someone missing this year.

He stood to make a toast. ‘This year, Christmas is bittersweet. We’re thankful to share this day with all of you, family and friends but there is a member of our family who has left us this year’ he said, glancing at the empty chair.

‘We all miss Grandma June and I know for a fact that she is smiling down on us today and she would not want us to be sad. Instead, let’s remember all those wonderful Christmases we had with her.’

‘Here’s to June’ he added as he lifted his glass.

Everyone raised their glass ‘To June!’ they said in unison.

WCWCWC

Sara hovered near the front door as Neal brought down the last of the boxes from Hope’s room. He winked at her as he walked past, knowing how her heart was torn between joy for their daughter’s new adventure and sadness at watching her leave.

Hope followed down the stairs and stood in front of her mom, eyes dancing with excitement.

‘Well, I think that’s it, Mom’ she said. ‘Are you sure, you don’t want to drive up with me and Dad?’

‘I think I’ll stay here with your brother and spend the last few days with Aunt Emily before she has to go back to Chicago’ Sara replied, eyes brimming with tears.

‘Okay’ Hope said, reaching out to hug her mom.

Sara tried to shake off the sadness. ‘I thought you might want to take this with you’ she said, removing the beautiful silk scarf she was wearing - the one that was Hope’s favourite and that she tried to _borrow_ every chance she got.

‘But Mom, it’s your favourite.’

‘I want _you_ to have it’ said Sara, emotions rising in her chest.

Neal reappeared in the doorway, witnessing the exchange and trying to keep his own emotions in check.

‘I’ve got something for you too, sweet pea’ he said as he grabbed a box by the basement stairs.

‘Dad, those are your brushes. You don’t let anybody use them...’

‘Well, I would be _honoured_ if you used them while you’re away. That way, I can be a part of what you’re painting’ he added, hugging her.

‘Thanks Dad. It means a lot to me. I promise I’ll take really good care of them’ she said, as her voice broke.

Neal nodded, unable to find his voice. He turned to Sara, seeing the emotions in her eyes and he hugged her tight.

‘I’ll be back by Friday, don’t worry okay?’ he said as he kissed her goodbye.

Sara stood in the doorway, waving them off, tears running down her cheeks yet knowing this was the most natural thing in the world – to raise your children to the best of your ability and to send them off to live their best lives. 

As she waved, she hoped she’d succeeded in giving her daughter both roots and wings.

La fin


End file.
